1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image input and output method, an image input and output apparatus, and an image processing system in which various types of image data are input and output through a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
As copy machines have been digitized in recent years, a versatile office machine having a plurality of functions has become commercially available, which performs facsimile transmission and receiving with the use of the scanning and printing functions of its copying section and which develops data written in a page description language (PDL) sent from a computer to print it out. Such a versatile office machine is configured so as to operate with the combined use of a plurality of functions, such as facsimile transmission of a developed PDL image, as well as so as to operate by the use of a single function, such as a copying function, a facsimile function, and a PDL printing function. The versatile office machine is also configured such that it can be connected to various types of image processing units, including a computer, through a local area network (LAN) to allow the image processing units to use the functions of the versatile office machine.
In such a versatile office machine, a control program for a printer section is shared in a copying function, a PDL printing function, and a facsimile printing function, and a control program for a reader section is also shared in the copying function, a facsimile reading function, and a scanning function. Therefore, the amount of control programs which implement various types of functions is reduced, and the desired functions are economically and simply implemented.
The versatile office machine is configured such that an image input and output operation for a unit function is finished and then the next image input and output operation for another unit function starts. However, a waiting period is required in many cases, such as a case in which, while copying is being performed, an operation for inputting into a hard disk image data obtained by developing a PDL sent from a computer is suspended until copying is finished and a case in which, while developed PDL image data is being read from a hard disk for printing, an original reading operation for copying is suspended until the PDL printing is finished, causing the user who wants to copy to wait until the versatile office machine completes printing.